IceHogs News

NEW YORK (October 25, 2008) – The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will wear commemorative retro jerseys during NHL Winter Classic 2009, which will be held at Wrigley Field in Chicago on New Year’s Day. Both jerseys were unveiled during the broadcast of tonight’s game between the clubs on WGN-TV and FSN Detroit.

Chicago will wear a primarily black jersey with red and beige horizontal body stripes that was worn by the club in 1936-37. The crest features the classic version of the Blackhawks logo encircled by "Chicago Blackhawks" word mark. Detroit will wear a white-based jersey with a single red body stripe inspired by the jerseys initially worn by the club circa 1926-27. The crest features a classic Old English “D” in the center, with the current Detroit Red Wings iconic winged wheel logo on each shoulder.

“With the overwhelming success of last season’s outdoor game and the anticipation for this season’s, the NHL Winter Classic instantly has become a significant event in our calendar year,” said Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President Marketing, NHL. “By wearing commemorative retro jerseys, we not only are celebrating the history of these two Original Six teams, but also recognizing the uniqueness of bringing the game back to its roots.”

“We’re proud to represent the rich history of the Detroit Red Wings and the City of Detroit,” said Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland. “The Old English ‘D’ served as the hockey team’s very first logo and is widely recognized as a symbol for our city and its sports teams.”

“These retro jerseys only strengthen what is going to be a historic day for our organization, the NHL and the city of Chicago,” Blackhawks Senior Vice President of Business Operations Jay Blunk said. “The Blackhawks and Red Wings logos are second to none in professional sports and seeing them on these jerseys only makes us more excited for the Winter Classic. We look forward to seeing our fans sporting our jersey around town as we count down the days to January 1.”

The NHL Winter Classic 2009 jerseys for both Chicago and Detroit are available for pre-orders now through Shop.NHL.com, DetroitRedWings.com, chicagoblackhawks.com and Hawkquarters.com. The jerseys will be available via retail and online in early December, with an official on-sale date to be announced.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will play in NHL Winter Classic 2009 at Chicago’s historic Wrigley Field. The game will be the 701st all-time meeting of the clubs – no NHL opponents have played more regular-season games against each other. Face-off is at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT. NBC will provide live broadcast coverage of the game in the U.S. In Canada, CBC and RDS will televise the event live. NHL Radio on Westwood One will provide coverage for radio stations across North America, and NHL.com will provide extensive digital video coverage. NHL Winter Classic 2009 will be the second regular-season outdoor NHL game played in the United States and the third regular-season outdoor game in League history.